September 11, 2007

5-Star Hotel On Wheels: The UnWoodstock

Nicholas Spencer, in an August 18, 2007 Financial Times story, wrote about the new new thing in road accomodations: An 18-wheel trailer truck that lets you use a handheld remote control to morph it in 30 minutes into an 11-bedroom hotel, complete with private bathrooms and a second floor outdoor terrace.

Here's the article.
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Trendspotter: Mobile Style

Trendspotter has long had a sort of yearning to tap into the current enthusiasm for attending music festivals. But the idea of roughing it in a tent and queuing for toilets and showers just seems too, well, rough.

Wouldn't it be great to have a private house for you and your mates on site at Glastonbury in the UK, Benicàssim in Spain or Lollapalooza in the US?

Spanish company SuiteMóvil has come up with the ideal solution by creating a mobile hotel on an 18-wheel truck trailer.

"Once parked, just detach the cab and press play on a handheld remote control," explains www.psfk.com. "After a 30-minute process of hydraulic presses, the trailer unfolds/pops out into an 11-bedroom hotel, complete with private bathrooms and even a second-floor outdoor terrace."

SuiteMóvil says that the rooms are of five-star standard. Each has an ensuite bathroom, wood panelling, heating and air conditioning, complete sound and temperature insulation, electric sockets, an LCD television, a DVD player and internet connectivity. The unit can accommodate up to 47 people.

It can be linked into local services and utilities or be self-sufficient. A weekend rental costs $8,000 but serious festival-goers can buy one for about $500,000.